Religion

Even as the controversy over the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple is raging, it may be worth recalling that some 35 years ago a woman became an adheenam – the head of a Saivite mutt – in Tamil Nadu. No eyebrows were raised and no questions were...

Nallur Sa Saravanan, president of Saiva Siddhanta Perumandram and the head of the Department of Saiva Siddhantam in the University of Madras, has come under threat from militant Hindutva groups for his views on Saivite philosophy. This Saiva Siddhanta Maha Samajam...

Padmavati Patti is a Sabarimala veteran. She has made the pilgrimage some 40 times. Originally from Cumbum in Theni district, she is among the few female guruswamys in the state – team leaders who initiate, mentor and guide the pilgrims – and takes women pilgrims...

Though a recent phenomenon, organised Vinayaka Chathurthi celebrations have become a part of the Hindu religious calendar across Tamil Nadu, especially in Chennai. What used to be largely a festival conducted in homes, today many neighbourhoods have big Ganeshas with...

One of the best kept secrets of the world was DMK President M Karunanidhi’s relationship with saint Amogam Swami of Chennai. Grandson of Kumbakonam Fiddle Rajamanickam Pillai, Amogam Swami is today spiritual guru for a number of celebrities. Karunanidhi was among the...

For Easwara Iyer, doing pujas at the Tiruchendur temple is a natural right bestowed on him since it is his traditional occupation. They are his source of livelihood too – actually, his only source. But what he and 300 other poojaris consider as their right is in...